Activist questions delay in reports on crime, suicide rates

MUMBAI: More than a month into 2019, the 2017 report on crimes across the country has not been released as the National Crime Data Record (NCRB) is making extensive changes to the report format and some states have not provided data for the additional parameters. However, with the prison statistics, accident and suicide reports for 2016 also still pending, an RTI activist has raised questions over the reasons for the delay. RTI activist Jitendra Ghadge who had submitted a query to the NCRB about the delay, told TOI: "Since there are just two months left for General elections, the excuses given by the NCRB are suspicious. The real reason seems to be political and not technical. I can understand the delay in releasing the 2017 report, but why is the NCRB reconfirming the ADSI (accidental deaths and suicides in India) data of 2016 with the states and UT's? It's seems the government does not want figures of farmer suicides going public." While the NCRB did not respond to TOI's mail inquiring about the delay, its RTI reply to Ghadge pointed out that revised proformas required State/UTs to provide data for additional parameters. "Requisite data is yet to be received from few states/UTs," the NCRB said in its reply on February 4. The NCRB also attached a letter of Joint Director Surendra Pawar with the query that they have repeatedly followed with the states/ UTs. Experts too feel that one reason for the delay is local police from smaller cities not giving reports promptly or submitting incomplete reports. Former Maharashtra DGP said there is nothing fishy in the delay. "The two are completely different reports. There is total reforming of the report making it more analytical and useful to understand various crimes, which has resulted in delay. Accidents data also is being reviewed," said Dixit. Agreeing with Dixit, IPS officer-turned-lawyer YP Singh said the main reason for delay is that full data is not supplied by the district police. Since there are several levels of compilation starting from police station, sub-division, district and state, this leads to delay. "The delay takes place mainly because of red-tape at the police station level. Unless complete data is received from all the states, the final compilation cannot be done," Singh said.